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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bore — to drill
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pit — in a race
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. capital — money
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. spell — a short time
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. spell — magic
  24. hide — to keep secret

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