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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pass — a permit
  17. field — farmland
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. field — a subject
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — for sport
  24. temple — a place of worship

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