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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. field — a subject
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. field — farmland
  13. shower — to wash
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bore — to tire
  20. field — for sport
  21. shower — rain
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lean — thin

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