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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. staff — employees
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. shower — rain
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. swing — in golf
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. sharp — clever
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bore — to tire
  19. swing — music
  20. staff — a stick
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — to play on

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