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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a music group
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. drill — a practice
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. drill — the tool
  13. game — wild animals
  14. perch — the fish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. key — in music
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. key — for a lock
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. game — a match
  24. band — a ring

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