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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cap — a lid
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — to be able to
  11. kid — child
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — goods
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stock — shares
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. lie — to recline
  24. craft — boats

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