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

Word bank: squash · bore · pound · chair · mate · vault · rash · cap

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mate — a partner
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pound — a weight
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cap — a lid
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rash — a series

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