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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. rush — hurry
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. season — in sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mate — to breed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mate — a partner
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mate — a friend
  23. season — of the year
  24. ground — a position

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