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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. season — in sport
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rule — a law
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mug — a cup
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bore — to drill
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. drill — army training
  17. vault — a safe
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mug — a face
  21. season — of the year
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. drill — the tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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