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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — after costs
  4. pop — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. staff — employees
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. net — in sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pass — a permit
  17. net — for catching
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pop — soda

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