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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spring — a coil
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. game — a match
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spring — of water
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spring — the season
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — after costs
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. kick — in football
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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