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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. root — the cause
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. suit — in cards
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — of the year
  15. suit — clothes
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. root — of a word
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bore — to drill
  21. root — of a plant
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bore — to tire
  24. season — in sport

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