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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bat — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. net — after costs
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bore — to tire
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. net — for catching
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. spring — the season
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bore — to drill

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