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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bore — to tire
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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