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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fine — all right
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. branch — a division
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pitch — completely
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kid — to tease
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fine — a penalty

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