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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.

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: rush · season · mine · present · mate · kid · bore · lie

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. kid — child
  4. mine — for digging
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. present — a gift
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. present — there
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lie — to recline
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. present — the time now
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bore — to drill

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