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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spell — letters
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spell — magic
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. scale — in music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. ball — a great time
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bear — the animal

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