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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. bore — to drill
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pass — a permit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. shower — rain
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cue — a hint
  23. chest — of your body
  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