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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pit — in a race
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a music group
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bore — to tire
  8. game — a match
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rock — a stone
  13. row — a line
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. band — a ring
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bear — the animal

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