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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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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: chair · mug · bore · fall · drill · cold · face · firm

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. firm — a company
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fall — to drop
  8. firm — decided
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. face — to point toward
  12. drill — army training
  13. firm — steady
  14. mug — a face
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fall — the season
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. face — to confront
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — to rob

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