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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bore — to tire
  6. perch — the fish
  7. court — of law
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. court — of a king
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. vault — a safe
  20. sharp — clever
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. court — for sport
  24. arm — a part of something

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