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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. current — of water
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. track — to keep track
  13. land — a country
  14. track — a path
  15. current — electric
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rush — hurry
  19. track — a song
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. current — happening now
  24. leaves — to go away

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