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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bore — to tire
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mug — to rob
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cold — an illness
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. row — a line
  18. mug — a cup
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a face
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bore — gave birth

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