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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. club — for golf
  6. drill — a practice
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. drill — army training
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bore — to drill
  16. club — a group
  17. pass — a permit
  18. season — in sport
  19. drill — the tool
  20. season — of the year
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. row — a line

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