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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. present — a gift
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. season — in sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mark — a grade
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. season — of the year
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. present — the time now
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chest — a box
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mark — a trace

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