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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bore — to tire
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. kid — child
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bore — to drill
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rest — a break
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. staff — a stick
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ball — a great time
  24. staff — employees

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