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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. drill — army training
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. last — to go on
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. drill — a practice
  7. last — final
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. squash — the sport
  13. content — happy
  14. lie — to recline
  15. last — finally
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. squash — to crush
  20. content — the amount
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. drill — the tool
  24. content — videos and posts

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