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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. swing — music
  5. bore — to tire
  6. fall — to drop
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bore — to drill
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fall — the season
  16. season — in sport
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. swing — in golf
  22. chair — a leader
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chair — a professorship

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