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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bore — to tire
  4. last — finally
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bore — to drill
  7. ground — crushed
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. key — in music
  12. ground — the earth
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. last — final
  19. clip — a video
  20. key — the most important part
  21. last — to go on
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ground — a position
  24. key — for a lock

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