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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: season · game · bore · march · cabinet · bear · pit · calf

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. season — of the year
  4. march — the month
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. game — a match
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. game — wild animals

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