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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. net — for catching
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bound — certain
  14. net — after costs
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. present — the time now
  17. net — in sport
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. present — there
  21. bound — tied together
  22. present — a gift
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. deal — a big deal

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