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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. scale — in music
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. last — to go on
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mine — for digging
  14. last — finally
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. last — final

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