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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spell — magic
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bore — to drill
  7. can — a tin
  8. spell — a short time
  9. swing — in golf
  10. season — of the year
  11. swing — to play on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. game — wild animals
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. season — in sport
  16. swing — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. can — a tin
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. can — to be able to
  22. game — a match
  23. spell — letters
  24. rock — music

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