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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cap — a hat
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kick — in football
  9. march — the month
  10. cap — a lid
  11. clip — for paper
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. march — music
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bore — to tire
  24. march — the month

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