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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cold — not warm
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lean — to bend
  7. race — humankind
  8. drill — army training
  9. content — the amount
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rest — a break
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. content — happy
  16. rest — what's left
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. race — a contest
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. race — the arms race
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bore — to tire
  24. lean — thin

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