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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 120 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. stock — shares
  6. drill — a practice
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. drill — the tool
  9. march — the month
  10. plane — a tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — army training
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. stock — goods
  18. sharp — clever
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — to tire
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. march — music

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