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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pop — music
  4. shower — rain
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pop — soda
  7. snap — to click
  8. rest — a break
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ground — crushed
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ground — a position
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ground — the earth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — to drill
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pop — to visit

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