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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. sharp — clever
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. vault — a safe
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kid — child
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. snap — to click
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pit — in a race
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pit — a hole
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. sharp — with an edge

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