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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. band — a ring
  5. row — a line
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pit — a hole
  15. band — a music group
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lean — thin
  23. bore — to tire
  24. band — a rubber band

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