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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. present — a gift
  5. dip — to sink
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wound — an injury
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rule — a law
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. wound — an injury

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