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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rash — hasty
  12. can — a tin
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. drill — army training
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cell — in biology
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. can — a tin
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — a series
  24. fork — a garden tool

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