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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. club — a group
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bore — to drill
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. land — a country
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. land — to come down
  12. capital — money
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ball — a great time
  16. present — a gift
  17. capital — a city
  18. land — ground
  19. present — the time now
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. club — for golf
  22. present — there
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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