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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. drill — a practice
  4. current — happening now
  5. ball — a great time
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bore — to drill
  10. staff — employees
  11. current — electric
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pound — a weight
  15. drill — army training
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. current — of water
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. staff — a stick

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