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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cold — not warm
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pit — a hole
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. craft — boats
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pit — in a race

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