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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mark — a trace
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. last — final
  17. tube — the underground
  18. current — happening now
  19. tube — a container
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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