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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 · cold · face · hide · fork · drill · club · jam

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. face — to confront
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cold — not warm
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fork — in a road
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. drill — army training
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cold — an illness
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bore — to tire

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