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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bear — the animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mark — a grade
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cap — of ice
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mine — belonging to me

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