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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bear — the animal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. present — the time now
  6. bore — to drill
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. degree — from a university
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. present — there
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. present — a gift
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bear — the animal

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