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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. drill — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. degree — from a university
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. chip — for betting
  12. degree — an amount
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hand — help
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. drill — army training
  19. hand — in cards
  20. can — a tin
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bore — to tire
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mine — an explosive

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