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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: last · drill · racket · field · toast · rock · bark · vault

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. field — for sport
  5. last — finally
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. toast — bread
  10. last — final
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. field — a subject
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. field — farmland
  16. last — to go on
  17. drill — army training
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. drill — the tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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