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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. pit — a hole
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — a friend
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ball — a great time
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bore — to tire
  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