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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. ground — a position
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hand — help
  5. suit — clothes
  6. squash — to crush
  7. shower — rain
  8. bound — certain
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. shower — to wash
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bore — to tire
  22. squash — the sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wound — an injury

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