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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 124 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. mate — to breed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mate — a partner
  4. season — of the year
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to click
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bore — to drill
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bore — to tire
  16. band — a ring
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. season — in sport
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mate — a friend
  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