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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rock — a stone
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. field — a subject
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. tear — from crying
  14. vault — a safe
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rock — music
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. field — for sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — farmland
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pit — in a race

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