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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. roll — a list
  3. capital — money
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a city
  9. pop — music
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pop — soda
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. drill — army training
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bay — a horse colour

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