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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a trace
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cold — an illness
  10. drill — army training
  11. cold — not warm
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cell — a phone
  15. current — electric
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bore — to drill
  18. current — happening now
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. current — of water
  23. cell — in biology
  24. drill — a practice

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