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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bore — to drill
  3. season — of the year
  4. present — there
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bore — to tire
  7. can — a tin
  8. present — the time now
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. can — a tin
  11. bank — for money
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. season — in sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. present — a gift
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bank — for money
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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