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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bore — to tire
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mug — a face
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — for catching
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. net — in sport
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. net — after costs
  15. bear — the animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bear — the animal

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