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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. spell — magic
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — to drill
  10. net — after costs
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. net — in sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rest — a break
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. spell — letters
  23. mark — a trace
  24. net — for catching

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