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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cap — of ice
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bore — to drill
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wake — a trail
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bore — to tire
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cap — a lid
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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