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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: swing · last · arm · pop · drill · track · vault · leaves

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. last — finally
  3. swing — to play on
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. swing — music
  8. drill — a practice
  9. track — a path
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. drill — the tool
  12. last — to go on
  13. track — a song
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. swing — in golf
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pop — soda
  22. track — to keep track
  23. last — final
  24. vault — a safe

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