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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fall — the season
  3. drill — the tool
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. game — a match
  6. mug — a cup
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mug — to rob
  9. drill — army training
  10. kick — in football
  11. plane — a tool
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mug — a face
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. game — wild animals
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fall — to drop
  18. march — the month
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. march — the month
  21. drill — a practice
  22. march — music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. plane — an aircraft

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