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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mug — a face
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bore — to tire
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mug — a cup
  12. vault — a safe
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. clip — to cut

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