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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bore — to drill
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pop — music
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rush — hurry
  14. fine — all right
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. game — a match
  20. pop — soda
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bore — gave birth

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