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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. club — for golf
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. club — a group
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bore — to tire
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. snap — to click
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. hand — in cards
  20. last — finally
  21. vault — a safe
  22. hand — help
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bore — gave birth

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