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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pop — music
  4. bore — to drill
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. season — in sport
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. land — ground
  10. roll — a list
  11. pop — to visit
  12. season — of the year
  13. land — a country
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bore — to tire
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — soda
  20. chest — a box
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. roll — a cake
  23. land — to come down
  24. bowl — to roll

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