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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · ball · land · snap · mine · key · bore · fine

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fine — all right
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fine — high quality
  13. key — the most important part
  14. drill — army training
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. snap — to click
  24. mine — for digging

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