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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. shower — to wash
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fine — all right
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. shower — rain
  24. patient — a sick person

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