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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rush — hurry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a song
  8. pit — in a race
  9. last — finally
  10. bat — the animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. bore — to tire
  18. track — a path
  19. drill — the tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — a practice

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