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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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. bowl — to roll
  4. bore — to tire
  5. current — electric
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. current — of water
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hand — in cards
  11. track — a path
  12. pass — a permit
  13. staff — a stick
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. current — happening now
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hand — help
  23. track — a song
  24. wind — to turn a key

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