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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ground — a position
  4. wound — an injury
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. ball — a great time
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — the earth
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bore — to drill
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mine — an explosive

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