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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fall — the season
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bound — certain
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — happy
  14. drill — the tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. bat — the animal
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. drill — army training
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bound — tied together

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