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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. band — a ring
  3. object — an aim
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. land — a country
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a friend
  14. land — ground
  15. object — a thing
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — to drill
  19. court — of a king
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mate — a partner
  22. object — to protest
  23. mate — to breed
  24. band — a music group

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