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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rash — a series
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bear — the animal
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rash — hasty
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bore — to drill
  18. ruler — for measuring

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