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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. season — in sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spell — letters
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bat — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spell — magic
  15. rock — music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spell — a short time

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