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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. can — a tin
  6. bore — to tire
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. present — a gift
  10. race — the arms race
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. can — to be able to
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. season — of the year
  18. race — humankind
  19. can — a tin
  20. bore — to drill
  21. dip — to sink
  22. chair — a leader
  23. race — a contest
  24. saw — the tool

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