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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. drill — army training
  6. vault — a safe
  7. charge — a price
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. band — a ring
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. drill — the tool
  19. charge — in control
  20. bore — to tire
  21. charge — electricity
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. band — a music group
  24. wind — moving air

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