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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. squash — the sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. hand — in cards
  7. march — the month
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. march — music
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. hand — help
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — to drill
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bore — to tire

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