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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. 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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. current — electric
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. capital — a city
  5. field — farmland
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — a subject
  8. bore — to drill
  9. field — for sport
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ground — a position
  13. current — of water
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ground — the earth
  16. capital — money
  17. ground — crushed
  18. 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