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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. drill — the tool
  9. content — happy
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. band — a music group
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — a practice
  17. content — the amount
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rest — what's left
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rest — a break
  22. tear — to rip
  23. drill — army training
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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