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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rush — hurry
  8. track — a path
  9. bore — to tire
  10. deal — to handle
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. track — a song
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ball — a great time

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