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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. kid — child
  6. scale — size or range
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. object — an aim
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bore — to tire
  11. object — to protest
  12. scale — in music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. object — a thing
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hand — help

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