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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bore — to tire
  3. present — there
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bore — to drill
  6. can — a tin
  7. present — the time now
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rule — a law
  12. drill — army training
  13. present — a gift
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. shower — rain
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rule — government
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. key — in music
  21. can — a tin
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. key — for a lock

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