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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fall — the season
  22. rash — a series
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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