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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wake — a trail
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mug — to rob
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bass — low music
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bass — the fish
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mug — a cup
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mug — a face
  24. bore — to tire

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