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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bore — to tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spell — letters
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pass — a permit
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. spell — magic
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tube — a container
  19. charge — a price
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. plane — a tool
  23. charge — in control
  24. calf — of the leg

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