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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rash — hasty
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wound — an injury
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. net — after costs
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. net — for catching
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. vault — a safe
  24. net — in sport

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