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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pop — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — to visit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wound — an injury

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