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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. shower — to wash
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bore — to drill
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cap — of ice
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tube — a container
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bore — to tire
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chair — a leader
  24. shower — rain

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