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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. drill — army training
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. roll — a list
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. season — of the year
  10. bat — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. drill — a practice
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. roll — a cake
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. firm — decided
  19. bore — to tire
  20. firm — a company
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. firm — steady
  24. bat — for baseball

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