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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. roll — a list
  4. face — to point toward
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. kid — child
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kid — to tease
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fine — all right
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. face — to confront
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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