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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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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bore — to drill
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rash — a series
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. present — the time now
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — there
  16. hand — help
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rash — hasty
  22. present — a gift
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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