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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cue — a hint
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. club — for golf
  12. field — for sport
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cue — a signal
  16. club — a group
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. land — a country
  20. club — for dancing
  21. land — to come down
  22. swing — music
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. land — ground

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