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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. swing — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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