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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — to drill
  3. charge — in control
  4. band — a music group
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ball — a great time
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. spring — a coil
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. band — a ring
  13. key — for a lock
  14. clip — to cut
  15. key — the most important part
  16. spring — the season
  17. charge — a price
  18. spring — of water
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. clip — a video
  22. charge — electricity
  23. key — in music
  24. bore — gave birth

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