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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spring — of water
  12. court — of a king
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spell — letters
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bore — to drill
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — the tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bore — to tire
  24. spell — magic

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