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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mine — for digging
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. object — an aim
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — money
  9. object — a thing
  10. branch — a division
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. capital — a city
  13. court — of a king
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — of law
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bore — to tire
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. court — for sport
  23. object — to protest
  24. branch — of a bank

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