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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kid — child
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. game — wild animals
  8. board — a committee
  9. bore — to drill
  10. board — to get on
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lean — thin
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bore — to tire
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. club — a group
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lean — to bend
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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