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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. game — wild animals
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kid — to tease
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bore — to drill
  12. kid — child
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bore — to tire

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