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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bore — to drill
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. prune — to trim
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pound — a weight
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. suit — to fit

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