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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. last — finally
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. face — part of the head
  6. last — final
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bore — to tire
  9. snap — to click
  10. face — to point toward
  11. perch — the fish
  12. face — to confront
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. hand — help
  18. last — to go on
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hand — in cards
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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