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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — a country
  5. shower — to wash
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bore — to drill
  9. shower — rain
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spring — the season
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. land — ground
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rash — a series
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. land — to come down
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — hasty

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