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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bore — to drill
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chip — to eat
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chip — for betting
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bass — the fish
  15. land — to come down
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fine — all right
  21. snap — to click
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. land — ground

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