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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. can — a tin
  3. cold — an illness
  4. spell — letters
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. can — a tin
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bore — to tire
  13. drill — army training
  14. bore — to drill
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. drill — the tool
  18. spell — magic
  19. wound — an injury
  20. press — to push
  21. can — to be able to
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mark — to pay attention

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