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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. last — to go on
  3. drill — army training
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. game — a match
  7. chest — of your body
  8. vault — a safe
  9. drill — a practice
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chest — a box
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mug — a face
  16. net — in sport
  17. mug — to rob
  18. last — final
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. last — finally
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. drill — the tool
  24. chest — of your body

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