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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. staff — employees
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hand — in cards
  12. staff — a stick
  13. drill — army training
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rush — hurry
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. staff — employees
  22. hand — help
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. can — a tin

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