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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spell — magic
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spell — letters
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. bound — tied together
  9. season — in sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bound — certain
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — of the year
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spell — a short time
  23. can — to be able to
  24. season — to add flavour

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