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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stand — to bear
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — a friend
  9. file — a tool
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. charge — in control
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. lean — to bend
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. charge — electricity
  21. file — a document
  22. charge — a price
  23. mate — to breed
  24. plane — a tool

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