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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. last — to go on
  10. face — part of the head
  11. hand — help
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — final
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. face — to confront
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. last — finally
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bore — to tire
  24. row — a line

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