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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bound — tied together
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — a path
  9. mate — a friend
  10. content — the amount
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. degree — an amount
  13. track — to keep track
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — certain
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. bound — obliged
  22. track — a song
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. hide — animal skin

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