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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cap — a hat
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. season — in sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. sharp — clever
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spell — a short time
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. drill — army training
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. snap — to click
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. vault — a safe
  19. drill — a practice
  20. season — of the year
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — magic
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bore — to drill

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