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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. object — an aim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — to tire
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pass — a permit
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. object — to protest
  11. rash — a series
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bore — to drill
  17. object — a thing
  18. rash — hasty
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pass — to succeed

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