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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mate — to breed
  8. row — a line
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. swing — in golf
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. swing — music
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bore — to tire
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wax — to grow
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a great time
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mate — a friend

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