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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kid — child
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. spell — letters
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. last — final
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. kid — to tease
  14. staff — employees
  15. vault — a safe
  16. last — finally
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — a short time
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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