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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rash — hasty
  4. present — the time now
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. present — there
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. face — part of the head
  15. present — a gift
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rash — a series
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. face — to confront

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