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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bore — to drill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. key — the most important part
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mate — to breed
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bore — to tire
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — a match
  19. key — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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