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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cold — not warm
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. club — for dancing
  5. swing — music
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bore — to tire
  11. club — for golf
  12. lie — to recline
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — a group
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. deal — to handle
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fine — all right
  20. bore — to drill
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cold — an illness

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