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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. swing — to play on
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. swing — music
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lean — thin
  8. bore — to tire
  9. swing — in golf
  10. staff — employees
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lean — to bend
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ball — a dance
  24. staff — employees

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