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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — a break
  3. bore — to drill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fine — all right
  10. tube — a container
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. sharp — clever
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cap — a hat
  24. leaves — of a tree

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