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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 124 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. last — finally
  7. band — a music group
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. last — final
  11. band — a ring
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — child
  14. bore — to drill
  15. charge — a price
  16. kid — to tease
  17. charge — electricity
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fine — high quality
  22. charge — in control
  23. last — to go on
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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