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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fork — in a road
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bore — to drill
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. last — to go on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. last — final
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kid — child
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. last — finally
  24. pitcher — a jug

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