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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — a position
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pit — a hole
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ground — the earth

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