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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cell — in biology
  3. court — for sport
  4. drill — army training
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. last — to go on
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. court — of law
  10. last — finally
  11. court — of a king
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bore — to tire
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. last — final
  19. bore — to drill
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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