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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. net — after costs
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. ball — a dance
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bore — to tire
  10. race — humankind
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ground — a position
  14. pound — a weight
  15. kick — in football
  16. net — in sport
  17. race — a contest
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ground — the earth
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. net — for catching
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ball — a round shape

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