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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — from crying
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cold — not warm
  12. tear — to rip
  13. drill — army training
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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