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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. last — final
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hand — help
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bank — for money
  10. squash — the sport
  11. last — finally
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cell — in biology
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cell — a phone
  16. squash — to crush
  17. last — to go on
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bank — of a river
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bore — to tire

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