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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. land — ground
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pit — a hole
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. land — to come down
  17. bore — to tire
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bear — the animal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. lean — thin
  22. land — a country
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bore — gave birth

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