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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hand — help
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chest — a box
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bore — to tire
  11. snap — to click
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. chest — of your body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hand — in cards

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