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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bore — to drill
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tear — to rip
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. tear — from crying
  11. roll — a list
  12. mug — a cup
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. game — a match
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mug — to rob
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rash — a series
  21. mug — a face
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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