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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 116 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mate — a partner
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bore — to tire
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. game — a match
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mate — to breed
  10. deal — to handle
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. staff — employees
  18. bore — gave birth

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