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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wound — an injury
  3. present — there
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. present — the time now
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — wild animals
  10. race — a contest
  11. bore — to tire
  12. ground — the earth
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. ground — a position
  16. present — a gift
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. race — humankind
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. jam — in traffic

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