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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. band — a ring
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hand — help
  12. snap — to click
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. hand — in cards
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  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