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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bore — to drill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. object — a thing
  9. pop — soda
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. drill — the tool
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kick — in football
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. bore — to tire

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