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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. tear — from crying
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. present — a gift
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. charge — electricity
  10. present — there
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. scale — size or range
  16. shower — to wash
  17. charge — in control
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. deal — to handle
  21. charge — a price
  22. tear — to rip
  23. present — the time now
  24. bore — to drill

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