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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 120 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kid — child
  7. tube — a container
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rush — to hurry

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