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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. key — the most important part
  3. drill — army training
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. drill — a practice
  10. charge — electricity
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — to drill
  13. key — in music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. key — for a lock
  21. race — humankind
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fall — the season

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