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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. vault — a safe
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — a trace
  8. capital — a city
  9. content — happy
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — a position
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ground — the earth
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. capital — money
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. content — the amount
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. content — videos and posts

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