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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bore — to drill
  3. file — a document
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cap — of ice
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bat — the animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. degree — temperature
  15. vault — a safe
  16. file — a line of people
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cap — a hat
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. file — a 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