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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — for digging
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. row — a line
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pitch — completely
  24. row — to paddle

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