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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 120 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pop — soda
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fall — the season
  11. content — happy
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. mate — a partner
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — to drop
  21. content — the amount
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mate — a friend

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