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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. drill — a practice
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mark — a grade
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. drill — the tool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mark — a trace
  14. file — a document
  15. content — the amount
  16. stand — to bear
  17. file — a tool
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. content — happy
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stand — on your feet

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