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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 116 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bore — to drill
  3. drill — the tool
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bear — the animal
  6. suit — to fit
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. suit — clothes
  13. drill — army training
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bore — to tire
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bore — gave birth

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