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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bat — the animal
  9. tear — to rip
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cap — of ice
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rash — hasty
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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