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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. drill — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. kick — in football
  13. stock — shares
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stock — goods
  16. wind — moving air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — army training
  19. bore — to tire
  20. staff — employees
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bore — gave birth

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