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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. court — for sport
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. root — of a word
  5. bore — to drill
  6. root — the cause
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lie — to recline
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. spring — of water
  11. bore — to tire
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — of a king
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. spring — the season
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. court — of law
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — child

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