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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fine — high quality
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — a safe
  12. clip — to cut
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. clip — a video
  15. fine — all right
  16. bore — to drill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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