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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fine — high quality
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cold — an illness
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. track — a song
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fine — all right
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. drill — army training
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — to keep track
  16. staff — employees
  17. race — the arms race
  18. vault — a safe
  19. track — a path
  20. race — a contest
  21. staff — a stick
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. race — humankind
  24. drill — a practice

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