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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's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bore — to drill
  3. spring — the season
  4. land — to come down
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bore — to tire
  9. spring — of water
  10. land — ground
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  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