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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: swing · present · object · cold · pass · bore · racket · vault

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. present — a gift
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. object — a thing
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. swing — to play on
  11. object — an aim
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. swing — music
  18. object — to protest
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. vault — a safe
  24. swing — in golf

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