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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. season — in sport
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fine — all right
  8. shower — rain
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spring — the season
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. bore — to drill
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mate — to breed
  23. season — of the year
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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