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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chip — to eat
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to drill
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pass — a permit
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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