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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · bore · firm · can · fall · chest · nail · game

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. can — a tin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cold — an illness
  16. can — a tin
  17. fall — the season
  18. firm — decided
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. can — to be able to
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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