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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. drill — the tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. track — a path
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. season — of the year
  11. drill — army training
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. kid — child
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. drill — a practice
  20. track — to keep track
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. season — in sport
  23. track — a song
  24. bore — to tire

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