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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. scale — size or range
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mark — a trace
  6. present — the time now
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. present — a gift
  10. scale — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bore — to drill
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. present — there
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mark — a grade
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bore — to tire

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