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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — to drill
  6. face — to point toward
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ground — crushed
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. face — to confront
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — a position
  19. spring — of water
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ground — the earth
  23. field — for sport
  24. face — part of the head

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