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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stand — to bear
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bore — to tire
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. object — to protest
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. hand — help
  24. stand — on your feet

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