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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hand — help
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — in cards
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bore — to tire
  10. drill — army training
  11. pitch — completely
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bore — to drill
  18. drill — a practice
  19. vault — a safe
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cabinet — ministers

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