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

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. row — a line
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. shower — to wash
  17. drill — army training
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mine — for digging
  22. shower — rain
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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