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

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mate — to breed
  5. root — the cause
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — of law
  14. root — of a word
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — army training
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bear — the animal

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