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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chest — a box
  3. band — a music group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bore — to tire
  7. stock — shares
  8. band — a ring
  9. object — an aim
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spell — letters
  13. object — to protest
  14. stock — goods
  15. spell — a short time
  16. object — a thing
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spell — magic
  21. present — the time now
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. present — there
  24. rush — hurry

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