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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mate — to breed
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. face — to confront
  9. bound — certain
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. object — an aim
  12. dip — to sink
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mate — a partner
  17. object — to protest
  18. bore — to drill
  19. face — to point toward
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bound — obliged
  22. object — a thing
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. face — part of the head

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