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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. craft — a skill
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wound — an injury
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. net — for catching
  15. toast — bread
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to drill
  18. net — in sport

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