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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. craft — boats
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bore — to tire
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. game — a match
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. game — a kind of play

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