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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mug — a cup
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. file — a document
  6. mug — to rob
  7. file — a tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. fall — to drop
  10. roll — a list
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. file — a line of people
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. fall — the season
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — army training

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