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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. drill — army training
  3. kick — in football
  4. hand — help
  5. bore — to drill
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hand — in cards
  8. current — of water
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bore — to tire
  13. content — the amount
  14. drill — a practice
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. current — electric
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. content — happy
  19. race — a contest
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. can — to be able to
  22. drill — the tool
  23. current — happening now
  24. can — a tin

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