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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.

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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. drill — army training
  3. net — for catching
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rest — a break
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rash — a series
  15. tube — a container
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rest — what's left
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bore — to drill

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