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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. roll — a cake
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bore — to drill
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mate — a partner
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cap — a hat
  24. roll — a list

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