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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. staff — a stick
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. net — after costs
  15. drill — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. staff — employees
  24. wake — a trail

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