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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. object — to protest
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cold — an illness
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. band — a music group
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. club — for golf
  13. current — happening now
  14. band — a ring
  15. club — a group
  16. toast — bread
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cold — not warm
  19. current — electric
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. current — of water
  22. club — for dancing
  23. object — a thing
  24. bore — to tire

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