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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bore — to tire
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pound — a weight
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rash — a series
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. clip — a video
  24. spring — a coil

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