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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cue — a signal
  4. tube — a container
  5. bore — to tire
  6. object — to protest
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cue — a hint
  10. staff — employees
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. net — in sport
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. net — after costs
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. net — for catching

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