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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bore — to tire
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cell — a phone
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. scale — in music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. kid — to tease
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fall — the season

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