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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. present — a gift
  3. bore — to tire
  4. sharp — clever
  5. spring — of water
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. tear — from crying
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spring — the season
  13. date — the fruit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. board — to get on
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. present — there
  18. spring — a coil
  19. tear — to rip
  20. board — a committee
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. present — the time now
  24. stand — to bear

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