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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. deal — to handle
  10. chest — a box
  11. bore — to drill
  12. march — the month
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pass — a permit
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — music
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — of your body

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