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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. staff — employees
  3. bass — the fish
  4. land — ground
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. staff — a stick
  7. land — a country
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. land — to come down
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — help
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bass — low music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. staff — employees
  24. bore — to drill

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