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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. root — the cause
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. shower — rain
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. root — of a word
  13. rush — hurry
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. root — of a plant
  16. last — to go on
  17. bat — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. shower — to wash
  23. last — final
  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