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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bore — to drill
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. drill — army training
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. suit — in cards
  10. squash — to crush
  11. saw — the tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wind — moving air
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. suit — to fit
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. suit — clothes
  24. wind — to turn a key

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