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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. land — to come down
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. club — a group
  5. chest — of your body
  6. land — a country
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — a measure
  9. land — ground
  10. chest — a box
  11. board — to get on
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bore — to tire
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. board — a committee
  20. craft — boats
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. chest — of your body

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