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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cue — a signal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bore — to drill
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cue — a hint
  13. face — to point toward
  14. kid — child
  15. shower — to wash
  16. hand — help
  17. fine — high quality
  18. shower — rain
  19. hand — in cards
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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