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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. squash — the sport
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bat — the animal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spring — the season
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. dip — to dunk

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