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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cell — in biology
  6. game — wild animals
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. craft — boats
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. game — a match
  20. stand — to bear
  21. craft — a skill
  22. snap — to click
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cell — in a prison

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