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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 120 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bass — low music
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. staff — employees
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rush — hurry

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