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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. game — wild animals
  3. capital — money
  4. spell — letters
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. drill — the tool
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spell — a short time
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spell — magic
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. game — a match
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. drill — army training
  22. capital — a city
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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