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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. pitch — completely
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. saw — the tool
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bat — in an idiom

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