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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a dance
  3. current — happening now
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. row — a line
  6. bore — to tire
  7. band — a music group
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bore — to drill
  12. band — a ring
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. current — of water
  17. ball — a great time
  18. kick — in football
  19. current — electric
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pit — a hole

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