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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. row — a line
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. current — electric
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. current — happening now
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. row — to paddle
  19. current — of water
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. staff — employees
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. kid — child
  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