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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stand — to bear
  3. spell — letters
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bat — the animal
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spell — magic
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bound — certain
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bore — to tire
  15. key — in music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bound — obliged
  20. dip — to sink
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bore — to drill
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spell — a short time

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