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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spell — letters
  3. bore — to drill
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. track — a song
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. track — a path
  19. shower — rain
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. spell — magic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mine — belonging to me

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