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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — a gift
  7. band — a ring
  8. capital — money
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. present — the time now
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. stand — to bear
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pit — in a race
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. present — there
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. pit — a hole

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