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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bore — to drill
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wax — to grow
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spell — magic
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fine — all right
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. track — a song
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. game — a match
  21. spell — letters
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spell — a short time
  24. game — wild animals

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