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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 120 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. shower — rain
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bound — tied together
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bore — to tire
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. shower — to wash

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