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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. content — happy
  3. bank — for money
  4. drill — army training
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rash — a series
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. drill — a practice
  10. content — the amount
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. last — final
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. last — to go on
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rash — hasty
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bank — of a river
  21. last — finally
  22. bulb — for light
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bank — for money

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