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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mug — a face
  3. ground — a position
  4. present — a gift
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. can — a tin
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cell — in biology
  12. present — there
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. present — the time now
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ground — the earth
  24. can — a tin

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