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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. hand — help
  3. fall — the season
  4. shower — rain
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — in cards
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fall — to drop
  17. game — wild animals
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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