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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 116 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. swing — music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rash — a series
  15. swing — in golf
  16. row — a line
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bat — for baseball

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