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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. court — for sport
  5. row — a line
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rest — a break
  11. court — of law
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rest — what's left
  14. court — of a king
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rest — what's left
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rock — music
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rock — a stone

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