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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bore — to tire
  4. capital — money
  5. press — to push
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. press — a publisher
  9. last — final
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. field — farmland
  12. last — to go on
  13. field — a subject
  14. object — an aim
  15. last — finally
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. race — the arms race
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. field — for sport
  23. press — newspapers
  24. capital — a city

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