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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. drill — army training
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rash — a series
  5. toast — bread
  6. shower — to wash
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. charge — a price
  9. stem — to come from
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rash — hasty
  17. charge — in control
  18. drill — a practice
  19. charge — electricity
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rash — on the skin

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