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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a ring
  5. root — the cause
  6. cap — a hat
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mine — for digging
  9. row — a line
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. row — to paddle
  12. game — a match
  13. band — a music group
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cap — of ice
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cap — a lid
  24. root — of a word

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