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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 120 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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. chair — to sit on
  4. root — of a word
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chest — a box
  10. fall — the season
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fall — to drop
  15. root — the cause
  16. chair — a leader
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. track — a path
  23. bat — the animal
  24. track — a song

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