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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bat — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mate — a partner
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. foot — part of the 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