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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chair — a leader
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. capital — money
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. scale — in music
  24. capital — a city

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