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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. season — in sport
  4. bore — to drill
  5. march — music
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. march — the month
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. march — the month
  10. season — of the year
  11. file — a document
  12. bore — to tire
  13. file — a tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hand — help
  17. file — a line of people
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rush — a thrill

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