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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. present — there
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bore — to tire
  12. capital — money
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. capital — a city
  17. pass — a permit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. present — the time now
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chair — a leader
  24. date — the fruit

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