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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. current — electric
  18. spring — the season
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. current — of water
  21. bore — to tire
  22. current — happening now
  23. rash — a series
  24. spring — of water

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