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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. season — of the year
  3. rest — a break
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cold — not warm
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. key — in music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. game — a match
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. key — the most important part
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. bore — to tire
  24. calf — a young animal

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