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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. firm — decided
  4. season — of the year
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mate — a partner
  7. firm — a company
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bore — to drill
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spell — letters
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cell — in biology
  14. firm — steady
  15. season — in sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kid — child
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bank — of a river
  23. spell — magic
  24. mate — to breed

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