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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 116 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bound — tied together
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bound — certain
  8. bore — to drill
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stem — to come from
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bound — obliged
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. degree — from a university

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