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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bound — obliged
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. kick — in football
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — in cards
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bore — to tire

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