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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. land — a country
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — rain
  9. present — there
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. spell — a short time
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — to come down
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — ground
  18. spell — magic
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. staff — employees
  21. spell — letters
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. staff — a stick
  24. shower — to wash

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