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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. drill — the tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. drill — army training
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rush — hurry
  8. board — a committee
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bulb — for light
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. board — to get on
  18. vault — a safe
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. date — the fruit
  21. shower — rain
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bat — the animal

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