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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wound — an injury
  3. content — the amount
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. date — the fruit
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. face — to confront
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. face — to point toward
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. content — happy
  24. date — on the calendar

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