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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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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 · pop · drill · stand · present · suit · straw · bore

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pop — music
  3. drill — army training
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pop — to visit
  7. drill — the tool
  8. suit — clothes
  9. present — a gift
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stand — to bear
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pop — soda
  15. bore — to tire
  16. present — there
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cold — not warm
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. suit — to fit
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. present — the time now
  24. stand — on your feet

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