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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. field — for sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — a subject
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. field — farmland
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cue — a signal
  11. vault — a safe
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cue — a hint
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rock — a stone
  18. drill — army training
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. drill — the tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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