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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 116 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: spring · sharp · deal · drill · squash · file · ball · bore

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. file — a document
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ball — a dance
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spring — a coil
  13. file — a tool
  14. ball — a great time
  15. file — a line of people
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. drill — army training
  23. bore — to tire
  24. sharp — exactly

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