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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wind — moving air
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. chip — to eat
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bore — to drill
  9. march — the month
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wind — moving air
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. march — music
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — for betting
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pitcher — a jug

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