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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bound — certain
  5. spring — of water
  6. mate — to breed
  7. last — finally
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mate — a friend
  10. last — final
  11. hand — help
  12. last — to go on
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bore — to tire
  15. chip — to eat
  16. snap — to click
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spring — the season
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. hand — in cards
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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