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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. hand — help
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rush — hurry
  8. can — a tin
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. can — to be able to
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bore — to drill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cold — not warm
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. hand — in cards

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