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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — a friend
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spring — of water
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rash — a series
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bore — to drill
  12. ground — a position
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pit — in a race
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pit — a hole
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bore — to tire

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