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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · safe · rash · fan · vault · squash · pitcher · date

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. drill — army training
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. date — the fruit
  24. drill — a practice

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