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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. suit — to fit
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. vault — a safe
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fine — all right
  13. suit — clothes
  14. drill — army training
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cold — the Cold War

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