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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — a path
  5. shower — rain
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. row — a line
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. can — a tin
  11. shower — to wash
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bore — to drill
  14. can — to be able to
  15. row — to paddle
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. can — a tin
  18. bore — to tire
  19. kid — child
  20. pop — to visit
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. track — a song
  24. pop — music

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