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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 116 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cap — of ice
  7. vault — a safe
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rush — hurry
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mark — a trace
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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