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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bore — to drill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. key — for a lock
  11. content — happy
  12. drill — army training
  13. game — a match
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. key — the most important part
  16. content — the amount
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — goods
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stock — shares
  22. bore — to tire
  23. key — in music
  24. drill — a practice

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