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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bore — to tire
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hand — help
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. can — to be able to
  22. chest — of your body
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. can — a tin

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