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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 partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bore — to tire
  8. net — after costs
  9. last — final
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. net — in sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. vault — a safe
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. net — for catching
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. present — a gift
  21. last — finally
  22. present — the time now
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. last — to go on

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