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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. board — a committee
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. net — in sport
  9. board — to get on
  10. spring — of water
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. net — for catching
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mate — a friend
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bore — to drill
  22. spring — the season
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. net — after costs

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