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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — to drill
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — of water
  10. branch — a division
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. court — of law
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bore — to tire
  20. court — of a king
  21. ground — crushed
  22. spring — the season
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ground — a position

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