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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spell — magic
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. clip — to cut
  10. firm — decided
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spell — letters
  13. firm — steady
  14. clip — for paper
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kid — child
  18. bore — to drill
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. clip — a video
  21. staff — employees
  22. firm — a company
  23. sharp — clever
  24. staff — a stick

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