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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bore — to tire
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. present — the time now
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. vault — a safe
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bore — to drill
  16. row — a line
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. present — there
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mine — for digging
  24. row — to paddle

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