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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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. pop — to visit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pop — music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. tear — from crying
  13. roll — a cake
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mate — to breed
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pop — soda
  23. row — a line
  24. roll — a list

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