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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. last — to go on
  3. file — a document
  4. drill — a practice
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cell — a phone
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. drill — army training
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. file — a tool
  18. mate — a friend
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cell — in biology
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mate — a partner

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