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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cold — an illness
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cell — in biology
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fall — to drop
  9. root — the cause
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cell — a phone
  15. fall — the season
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. key — in music
  20. board — a committee
  21. key — the most important part
  22. board — to get on
  23. root — of a word
  24. calf — a young animal

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