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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. present — there
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mine — for digging
  6. present — the time now
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bore — to tire
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. present — a gift
  17. can — to be able to
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cell — in biology
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. can — a tin
  24. cell — a phone

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