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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 120 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bank — for money
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. drill — army training
  5. foot — a measure
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. club — for golf
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. last — final
  10. clip — a video
  11. vault — a safe
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. clip — for paper
  17. drill — the tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bank — for money
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mug — a face
  23. last — finally
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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