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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mate — to breed
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tube — a container
  8. mate — a partner
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to drill
  13. snap — to click
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bore — to tire
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bound — certain

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