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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bound — certain
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pop — soda
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. toast — bread
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cold — not warm

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