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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. content — happy
  4. drill — a practice
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rule — a law
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. roll — a list
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rule — government
  14. drill — army training
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kid — child
  18. hand — help
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — the tool
  22. roll — a cake
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cabinet — ministers

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