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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. shower — to wash
  4. root — the cause
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. vault — a safe
  9. race — humankind
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bore — to tire
  12. root — of a plant
  13. race — a contest
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pop — music
  16. root — of a word
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. file — a line of people
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — rain
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. file — a document

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