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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spring — of water
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bore — to tire
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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