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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bore — to drill
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pit — a hole
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pit — in a race
  10. land — a country
  11. row — a line
  12. dip — to sink
  13. land — ground
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. face — part of the head
  17. capital — a city
  18. face — to confront
  19. land — to come down
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. capital — money
  22. bore — to tire
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. row — a quarrel

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