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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: land · ball · bound · bore · row · staff · mouse · pitch

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bore — to drill
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. staff — employees
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bound — certain
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. land — a country
  16. staff — a stick
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. row — a line
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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