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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. present — the time now
  3. net — after costs
  4. rest — what's left
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rest — a break
  7. key — in music
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. net — for catching
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rest — what's left
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. present — a gift
  15. net — in sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mine — for digging
  19. present — there
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rush — a thrill
  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