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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. land — a country
  3. spring — a coil
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spring — of water
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. land — ground
  10. current — happening now
  11. spring — the season
  12. chest — of your body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bore — to drill
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fine — all right
  19. land — to come down
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. current — electric
  22. chest — a box
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. current — of water

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