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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chip — for betting
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. game — a match
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rock — music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. present — the time now
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cold — the Cold War

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