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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bass — low music
  5. present — a gift
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. date — the fruit
  8. present — the time now
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. present — there
  11. object — an aim
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. object — a thing
  14. bass — the fish
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. object — to protest
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bore — to drill
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. date — on the calendar

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