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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. shower — to wash
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. sharp — clever
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. roll — a list
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. shower — rain
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. squash — to crush
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bore — to drill
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pass — a permit

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