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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · mine · safe · pop · bore · jam · chest · present

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. fork — in a road
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. present — a gift
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chest — a box
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. present — there
  12. pop — to visit
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. present — the time now
  24. safe — a strongbox

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