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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fine — all right
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — a position
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. march — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ground — the earth

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