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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chest — a box
  7. drill — army training
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. drill — the tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bore — to drill
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. drill — a practice
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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