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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. drill — army training
  3. bore — to tire
  4. drill — a practice
  5. charge — a price
  6. craft — a skill
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. charge — in control
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. drill — the tool
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. charge — electricity
  21. staff — employees
  22. can — a tin
  23. cold — an illness
  24. staff — employees

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