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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. squash — to crush
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. vault — a safe
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bank — of a river
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. squash — the sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bank — for money
  20. bore — to drill
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chair — a leader
  23. last — finally
  24. kid — child

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