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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — of a king
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. tube — a container
  8. bore — to drill
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. tear — from crying
  13. court — for sport
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. shower — rain
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bore — to tire
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. shower — to wash
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. court — of law
  24. tube — the underground

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