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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — of the year
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bore — to tire
  6. season — in sport
  7. chest — a box
  8. mate — a friend
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bark — to shout

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