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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bore — to drill
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bore — to tire
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. capital — a city
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. capital — money
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. court — of a king
  15. spell — magic
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. court — of law
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. court — for sport
  21. hand — help
  22. spell — a short time
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spell — letters

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