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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. swing — music
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — a match
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rest — a break
  24. tear — from crying

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