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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ball — a great time
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. land — ground
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mate — a friend
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bore — to tire
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rock — music
  24. bore — to drill

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