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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
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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: cue · perch · calf · bore · roll · drill · rush · cold

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cue — for pool
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bore — to tire
  9. roll — a list
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — hurry
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bore — to drill
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — the tool
  24. calf — a young animal

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