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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — a short time
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. capital — money
  9. bore — to drill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a city
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bore — to tire
  15. spell — letters
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cold — an illness
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fall — the season
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. kick — in football
  24. spell — magic

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