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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. last — finally
  4. vault — a safe
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a ring
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mate — to breed
  9. land — a country
  10. ground — the earth
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bore — to tire
  13. last — final
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. band — a music group
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. ground — crushed
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. land — ground
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ground — a position
  23. dip — to sink
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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