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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. drill — army training
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. kick — in football
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — a match
  7. bore — to drill
  8. drill — a practice
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. toast — bread
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. game — wild animals
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cap — a lid
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cap — of ice
  23. kick — with a leg
  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