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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bore — to drill
  14. key — in music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. snap — to click
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. key — for a lock

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