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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 124 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. capital — money
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. snap — to click
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. capital — a city
  12. spell — letters
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rock — a stone

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