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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spring — the season
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bore — to tire
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bore — to drill
  11. can — to be able to
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. spring — of water
  21. wind — moving air
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — to turn a key

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