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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tube — a container
  5. vault — a safe
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mate — a partner
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bore — to tire
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. row — a line
  16. mate — a friend
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bore — to drill
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. tube — the underground

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