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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cap — a lid
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. club — for golf
  8. bore — to tire
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. club — a group
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bat — in an idiom

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