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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. spell — letters
  5. game — a match
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bore — to tire
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. clip — to cut
  14. plane — a tool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wind — moving air
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. clip — a video
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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