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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. track — a song
  4. bore — to drill
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. track — to keep track
  8. staff — employees
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. staff — a stick
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. shower — rain
  18. ball — a great time
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. track — a path
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. stem — to come from
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a dance

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