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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cue — for pool
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. file — a line of people
  11. season — of the year
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. season — in sport
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bound — certain
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bore — to drill
  24. file — a document

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