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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. field — a subject
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. field — farmland
  11. mate — a partner
  12. field — for sport
  13. band — a music group
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bore — to drill
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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