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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. last — to go on
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. last — finally
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bore — to tire
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — a gift
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. last — final
  14. present — there
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. saw — the tool
  17. present — the time now
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bore — to drill
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — of the year
  22. vault — a safe
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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