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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. bore — to drill
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fork — in a road
  8. present — there
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kid — child
  12. track — a song
  13. bore — to tire
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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