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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: cabinet · drill · row · rush · toast · board · file · vault

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rush — hurry
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. file — a line of people
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. board — to get on
  11. row — a line
  12. drill — army training
  13. board — a committee
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. file — a tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. drill — a practice
  19. row — to paddle
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. file — a document
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. toast — bread
  24. cabinet — ministers

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