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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bound — tied together
  3. net — for catching
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. spell — letters
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bound — certain
  12. bore — to drill
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spell — magic
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. net — in sport
  20. season — in sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. trunk — of a car

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