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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. current — of water
  4. fine — all right
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cell — in biology
  10. current — electric
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cell — a phone
  16. current — happening now
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. row — a line
  20. mark — a grade
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mark — a trace
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cell — in a prison

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