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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bore — to tire
  5. present — there
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mate — a friend
  8. present — a gift
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — to eat
  11. capital — money
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bore — to drill
  14. capital — a city
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mate — a partner

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