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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. club — for dancing
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. bore — to drill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lean — thin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cold — not warm
  12. foot — a measure
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. club — a group
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. snap — to click
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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