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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hand — in cards
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — to be able to
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. band — a ring
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. band — a music group
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bore — to drill
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. row — a line
  19. hand — help
  20. bore — to tire
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — to paddle
  23. can — a tin
  24. bore — gave birth

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