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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — the tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mark — a grade
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rash — a series
  14. cold — an illness
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rash — hasty
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cold — not warm
  20. drill — army training
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. squash — the sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. temple — side of the head

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