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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. chest — a box
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pit — a hole
  24. chest — of your body

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