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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. court — of law
  3. last — to go on
  4. staff — employees
  5. net — for catching
  6. court — of a king
  7. staff — employees
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. last — finally
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. club — for golf
  15. net — after costs
  16. last — final
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. club — a group
  19. staff — a stick
  20. court — for sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. club — for dancing
  23. net — in sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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