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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stand — to bear
  11. suit — clothes
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bass — low music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bore — to drill

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