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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bore — to tire
  3. drill — army training
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pop — soda
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ground — the earth
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pop — to visit
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pop — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. mine — for digging
  19. drill — a practice
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bore — to drill
  24. staff — a stick

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