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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bore — to tire
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ground — the earth
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bore — to drill
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bear — the animal
  15. roll — a list
  16. ground — a position
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. shower — rain

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