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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. mark — a trace
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. current — of water
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. spell — magic
  24. arm — part of the body

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