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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bore — to drill
  3. swing — music
  4. cue — a signal
  5. shower — rain
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mate — a partner
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mate — a friend
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. swing — in golf

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