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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: court · mark · calf · dip · fall · leaves · bore · drill

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. court — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fall — to drop
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. drill — army training
  15. bore — to tire
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bore — to drill
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mark — a trace
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. court — of law
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. drill — the tool
  24. leaves — to go away

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