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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · bore · mug · rush · present · pit · swing · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pit — a hole
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mug — a face
  9. present — a gift
  10. swing — music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. present — there
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — help
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hand — in cards
  24. present — the time now

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