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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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 — gave birth
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bat — the animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fork — in a road
  23. sharp — exactly
  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