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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. track — to keep track
  8. drill — army training
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. track — a path
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. race — a contest
  15. track — a song
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. race — the arms race
  20. lie — to recline
  21. race — humankind
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lie — an untruth

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