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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — to drill
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. game — a match
  13. mine — for digging
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — a trail
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bore — to tire
  19. vault — a safe
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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