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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — not warm
  10. current — of water
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bore — to tire
  13. current — happening now
  14. cold — an illness
  15. current — electric
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. spring — of water
  18. mark — a grade
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. spring — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bark — of a tree

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