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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 · date · club · lie · sharp · cold · drill · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. drill — army training
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — boats
  8. bore — to drill
  9. drill — a practice
  10. craft — a skill
  11. lie — to recline
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. club — a group
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bore — to tire
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. date — the fruit
  24. drill — the tool

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