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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bore — to drill
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. drill — army training
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — to paddle
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mug — a face
  21. bass — the fish
  22. row — a line
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. drill — a practice

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