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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bore — to drill
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ball — a great time
  5. game — a match
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bore — to tire
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tear — from crying
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. ball — a dance

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