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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fall — the season
  7. current — of water
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — army training
  15. bore — to tire
  16. current — electric
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chest — a box

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