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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bore — to tire
  11. row — a line
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mark — a grade
  15. spring — a coil
  16. season — in sport
  17. row — to paddle
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. plane — a tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. bore — to drill

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