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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cold — an illness
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stand — to bear
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. object — a thing
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bound — certain
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bound — obliged
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. cold — not warm
  22. object — to protest
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bound — tied together

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