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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. prune — to trim
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. court — of a king
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cue — a signal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. charge — electricity
  13. court — for sport
  14. tear — to rip
  15. court — of law
  16. charge — a price
  17. drill — army training
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. charge — in control
  22. tear — from crying
  23. race — humankind
  24. prune — the fruit

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