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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stock — shares
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mate — to breed
  7. present — a gift
  8. bore — to tire
  9. present — the time now
  10. spell — letters
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stock — goods
  13. chest — a box
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. spell — a short time
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. present — there
  19. firm — a company
  20. chest — of your body
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spell — magic
  24. bore — to drill

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