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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cap — a hat
  3. clip — for paper
  4. last — to go on
  5. club — a group
  6. last — finally
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. court — of law
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. club — for golf
  11. clip — to cut
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. club — for dancing
  14. vault — a safe
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. court — for sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. plane — a tool
  20. last — final
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bore — to tire
  23. court — of a king
  24. clip — a video

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