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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. drill — army training
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. foot — a measure
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. season — of the year
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — to tire
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bore — to drill
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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