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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. vault — a safe
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — a group
  15. bore — to tire
  16. object — to protest
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. hand — help
  23. bore — to drill
  24. hand — in cards

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