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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bore — to drill
  5. track — a path
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. track — to keep track
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pit — in a race
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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