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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bore — to tire
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — to come down
  6. root — of a word
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. snap — to click
  13. bound — tied together
  14. capital — money
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. root — the cause
  17. land — ground
  18. mate — to breed
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rock — music

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