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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bore — to drill
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bore — to tire
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cue — a signal
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — hurry
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — to trim
  12. march — music
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. content — happy
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fall — the season
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — army training
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cue — for pool
  24. content — the amount

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