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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. capital — a city
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bore — to drill
  6. capital — money
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. craft — boats
  10. game — a match
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bear — the animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tear — to rip
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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