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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. land — ground
  3. spring — the season
  4. kid — child
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. net — after costs
  7. spring — of water
  8. key — the most important part
  9. land — to come down
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. rule — a law
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. land — a country
  15. last — to go on
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. kid — to tease
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rule — government
  21. bore — to tire
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bore — gave birth

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