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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. present — there
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cell — in biology
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bound — certain
  13. last — to go on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bound — tied together
  20. season — of the year
  21. bound — obliged
  22. present — the time now
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — a gift

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