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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. game — wild animals
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. race — humankind
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wake — a trail
  17. game — a match
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. spell — a short time
  21. race — the arms race
  22. drill — army training
  23. race — a contest
  24. game — a kind of play

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