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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cold — not warm
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. land — ground
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. court — of law
  24. cold — an illness

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