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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · mug · bowl · last · tear · vault · drill · sharp

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. last — to go on
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a face
  8. last — finally
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. last — final
  11. drill — the tool
  12. vault — a safe
  13. drill — a practice
  14. sharp — clever
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — army training
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. tear — to rip

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