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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 · chip · spring · foot · roll · cold · last · rock

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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. cold — the Cold War
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. roll — a list
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. spring — of water
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. spring — the season
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cold — not warm
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cold — an illness

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