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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 · deal · kick · game · last · toast · vault · date

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. game — a match
  3. kick — in football
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. drill — a practice
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. drill — the tool
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. date — the fruit
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. last — to go on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. deal — to handle
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — finally
  21. game — wild animals
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. last — final

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