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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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. ball — a dance
  2. rock — a stone
  3. drill — the tool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. drill — army training
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. stock — shares
  17. hand — in cards
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stock — goods
  20. row — a line
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rock — music
  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