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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fine — all right
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — final
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rest — what's left
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rest — a break
  19. fine — high quality
  20. game — a match
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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