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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. board — to get on
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bear — the animal
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. board — a committee
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cell — in biology
  24. jam — a tight spot

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