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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. club — a group
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ground — a position
  14. club — for golf
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. club — for dancing
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. trunk — of a car

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