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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 124 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rash — hasty
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. suit — clothes
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — a series
  7. land — a country
  8. net — in sport
  9. suit — in cards
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chair — a leader
  16. sharp — clever
  17. net — for catching
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bore — to drill
  24. suit — to fit

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