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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. tear — to rip
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bass — low music
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chip — for betting
  13. swing — music
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — of the year
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chair — a leader

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