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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bore — to tire
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. scale — in music
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. staff — employees
  9. scale — size or range
  10. season — of the year
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. row — a line
  15. court — of law
  16. kick — in football
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. season — in sport
  19. row — to paddle
  20. staff — employees
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. staff — a stick
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. court — of a king

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