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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bore — to tire
  4. last — to go on
  5. bore — to drill
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rock — music
  8. swing — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hand — help
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mate — a partner
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. last — final
  20. can — to be able to
  21. last — finally
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — in cards
  24. can — a tin

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