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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mine — for digging
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. prune — to trim
  6. drill — army training
  7. spell — letters
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. drill — the tool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. spell — magic

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