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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. tear — to rip
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tear — from crying
  5. present — a gift
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — the time now
  8. bore — to tire
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mate — a partner
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wake — a trail
  16. kick — in football
  17. mate — a friend
  18. present — there
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — music
  24. kick — with a leg

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