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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: bore · fall · safe · toast · band · content · drill · staff

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. drill — army training
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fall — to drop
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. fall — to drop
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. content — the amount
  12. band — a music group
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bore — to tire
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. toast — bread
  18. fall — the season
  19. staff — a stick
  20. band — a ring
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bore — to drill
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bore — gave birth

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