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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bore — to drill
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. swing — in golf
  8. court — for sport
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fall — to drop
  11. court — of a king
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spell — magic
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fall — the season
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bore — to tire
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. swing — music
  24. court — of law

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