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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cold — an illness
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. object — an aim
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. net — for catching
  7. saw — the tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. bore — to tire
  10. object — to protest
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. object — a thing
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. field — a subject
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. field — farmland
  19. saw — the tool
  20. field — for sport
  21. charge — a price
  22. cold — not warm
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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