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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ball — a dance
  4. roll — a list
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pop — music
  7. bore — to tire
  8. roll — a cake
  9. board — a committee
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. court — of a king
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pop — soda
  14. court — of law
  15. present — a gift
  16. pop — to visit
  17. present — the time now
  18. court — for sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. ball — a great time
  24. present — there

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