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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. can — a tin
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. land — to come down
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chest — a box
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. land — a country
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mark — a trace
  24. land — ground

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