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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kick — in football
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spell — letters
  10. spring — of water
  11. can — a tin
  12. game — a match
  13. bore — to drill
  14. spring — the season
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. spell — magic
  17. mine — for digging
  18. game — wild animals
  19. can — a tin
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mark — a trace
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bore — to tire
  24. mine — belonging to me

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