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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. present — a gift
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mate — to breed
  14. present — the time now
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. mate — a friend
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. present — there
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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