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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. season — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. wake — a trail
  14. net — in sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bore — to drill
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. season — of the year
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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