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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. staff — employees
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — a practice
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bass — the fish
  17. staff — a stick
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. vault — a safe
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com