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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bound — tied together
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. tear — to rip

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