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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. root — the cause
  5. pit — a hole
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hand — help
  8. mine — for digging
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bound — certain
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bound — obliged
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. bore — to drill
  20. staff — employees
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mate — a partner
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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