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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fine — high quality
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — to go on
  6. kid — to tease
  7. drill — the tool
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. drill — a practice
  10. kid — child
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. last — finally
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fine — all right
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. last — final
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. drill — army training
  22. game — wild animals
  23. branch — a division
  24. vault — a safe

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