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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — to go on
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. court — for sport
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. last — finally
  11. court — of law
  12. charge — in control
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. charge — a price
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — final
  21. charge — electricity
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. court — of a king
  24. hide — to keep secret

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