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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pit — a hole
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. charge — in control
  7. drill — a practice
  8. staff — employees
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. staff — employees
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bore — to tire
  14. drill — army training
  15. charge — a price
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. kid — child
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. row — a line
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pit — in a race

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