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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rock — a stone
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — magic
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cell — in a prison

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