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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bore — to tire
  4. swing — to play on
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. swing — music
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. toast — bread
  9. capital — a city
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rash — hasty
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. plane — a tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — money
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rash — a series
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. plane — in geometry

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