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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. club — for dancing
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. net — for catching
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bore — to drill
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mark — a grade
  12. vault — a safe
  13. club — for golf
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. club — a group
  17. net — in sport
  18. cold — an illness
  19. track — a path
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. branch — a division
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. net — after costs
  24. bore — to tire

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