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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mark — a trace
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mark — a grade
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cap — of ice
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. season — of the year
  23. drill — army training
  24. season — in sport

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