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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. track — to keep track
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. can — a tin
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bore — to tire
  10. track — a song
  11. cell — a phone
  12. object — an aim
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. track — a path
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. capital — a city
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. capital — money
  22. cell — in biology
  23. can — a tin
  24. jam — in traffic

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