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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 120 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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. hand — help
  5. last — to go on
  6. bore — to drill
  7. last — final
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. game — a match
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. object — an aim
  13. bore — to tire
  14. vault — a safe
  15. clip — for paper
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. last — finally
  18. object — a thing
  19. clip — a video
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. object — to protest
  22. clip — to cut
  23. hand — in cards
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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