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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pop — soda
  3. fine — all right
  4. spring — of water
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tear — to rip
  7. present — a gift
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. scale — in music
  13. pop — music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. spring — the season
  19. rush — hurry
  20. spring — a coil
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fine — high quality
  24. present — the time now

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