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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. capital — a city
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mate — a partner
  8. drill — army training
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. drill — a practice
  12. can — to be able to
  13. staff — employees
  14. bore — to drill
  15. staff — employees
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. vault — a safe
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bore — to tire
  22. drill — the tool
  23. capital — money
  24. bowl — to roll

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