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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. root — of a word
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fine — all right
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fine — high quality
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. spell — magic
  12. bound — certain
  13. bore — to tire
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bound — tied together
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. spell — a short time
  22. race — humankind
  23. root — the cause
  24. straw — dry grass

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