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

Word bank: vault · foot · hand · bore · date · bay · net · cell

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. hand — help
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. net — in sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. foot — a measure
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. net — after costs
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. date — the fruit
  20. net — for catching
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bore — to tire

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