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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bass — the fish
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kid — child
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rash — a series
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bore — to drill
  24. season — in sport

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