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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fall — the season
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bore — to tire
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — tied together
  17. track — a song
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. drill — army training
  20. mark — a grade
  21. drill — a practice
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bound — certain
  24. track — a path

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