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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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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: lie · bore · racket · rock · march · bowl · hand · land

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bore — to drill
  3. march — music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. land — a country
  7. march — the month
  8. rock — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. land — ground
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. march — the month
  19. land — to come down
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bowl — a football final

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