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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · season · firm · vault · mug · racket · last · track

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mug — to rob
  4. last — finally
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. last — final
  8. track — to keep track
  9. firm — a company
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mug — a cup
  12. vault — a safe
  13. track — a song
  14. last — to go on
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. drill — army training
  21. track — a path
  22. mug — a face
  23. firm — decided
  24. drill — the tool

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