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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. kid — child
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rash — a series
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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