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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. roll — a list
  5. bore — to drill
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. roll — a cake
  11. spring — a coil
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. swing — music
  17. content — happy
  18. spring — of water
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spring — the season
  24. content — the amount

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