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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. current — happening now
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. present — a gift
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. current — of water
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. present — there
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bore — to drill
  19. current — electric
  20. present — the time now
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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