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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bore — to tire
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. date — the fruit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. degree — from a university
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bear — the animal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — rain
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. degree — temperature

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