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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. 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kid — child
  5. ball — a great time
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. net — after costs
  8. land — ground
  9. kid — to tease
  10. net — for catching
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ball — a dance
  14. club — a group
  15. land — to come down
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. club — for golf
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. club — for dancing
  20. net — in sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. land — a country
  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