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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 · bound · pop · court · cap · bore · bay · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bore — to tire
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. court — of a king
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bore — to drill
  10. court — for sport
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — soda
  17. bound — certain
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pop — music
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. drill — the tool

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