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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 water is too ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. suit — to fit
  7. craft — boats
  8. snap — to click
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mate — to breed
  12. suit — clothes
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. suit — in cards
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bore — to tire
  17. land — a country
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mate — a partner
  22. land — ground
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. land — to come down

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