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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — a city
  7. bore — to drill
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. object — an aim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. capital — money
  20. pit — in a race
  21. object — to protest
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bear — the animal

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