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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. field — farmland
  4. kick — in football
  5. net — for catching
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bore — to drill
  9. net — after costs
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. net — in sport
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mug — a face
  18. cue — a hint
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. cue — for pool
  22. drill — army training
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mug — to rob

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