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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wound — an injury
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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