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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. drill — a practice
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. drill — army training
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cold — an illness
  23. vault — a safe
  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