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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rest — a break
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ball — a great time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kick — in football
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ball — a dance
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — magic
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. deal — a big deal

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