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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. craft — boats
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ball — a great time
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. ball — a dance
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. squash — the sport
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bound — certain
  17. snap — to click
  18. craft — a skill
  19. squash — to crush
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bound — tied together
  22. kid — child
  23. bound — obliged
  24. kid — to tease

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