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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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 — a tight spot
  2. kid — child
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — for digging
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bore — to tire
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mate — a friend
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pit — a hole
  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