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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. lean — thin
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. drill — army training
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. vault — a safe
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. drill — a practice
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. capital — a city
  24. hide — to keep secret

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