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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. kid — child
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chest — of your body
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bore — to drill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. drill — a practice
  15. roll — a list
  16. kid — to tease
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chest — a box
  21. drill — army training
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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