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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rash — a series
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. track — a song
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bore — to tire
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. track — a path
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bore — to drill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cell — a phone
  19. track — to keep track
  20. snap — to click
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stand — on your feet

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