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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. present — there
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bore — to drill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fine — all right
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fine — high quality
  16. present — a gift
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bark — to shout
  19. present — the time now
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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