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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — music
  7. bore — to drill
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. spell — magic
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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