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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. can — to be able to
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bore — to tire
  10. court — of a king
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. field — farmland
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. field — a subject
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. field — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. can — a tin
  22. court — for sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — a hole

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