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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · ball · hand · cue · shower · bore · chest · vault

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bore — to drill
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chest — of your body
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chest — a box
  14. hand — in cards
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — help
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. ball — a dance
  20. shower — rain
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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