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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. vault — a safe
  3. game — wild animals
  4. content — the amount
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. spell — magic
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bark — to shout
  17. shower — rain
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bore — to tire
  20. can — a tin
  21. content — happy
  22. spell — letters
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. game — a match

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