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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · tube · bore · shower · vault · ball · bass · mate

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cold — not warm
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mate — a partner
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tube — a container
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bass — low music
  18. ball — a dance
  19. tube — the underground
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mate — a friend
  22. shower — rain
  23. bore — to drill
  24. ball — a round shape

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