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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · bore · spell · bound · mate · wave · pit · chest

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bound — certain
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chest — a box
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. game — a match
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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