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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bat — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bore — to tire
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. present — a gift
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. clip — a video
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bore — to drill
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. present — the time now
  24. bat — in an idiom

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