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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. object — an aim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mug — a face
  18. object — a thing
  19. season — of the year
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mug — a cup

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