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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cold — not warm
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cold — an illness
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bore — to drill
  7. drill — army training
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bore — to tire
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bear — the animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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