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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rash — a series
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cold — an illness
  10. club — for dancing
  11. lean — to bend
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. sharp — clever
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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