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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 124 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. drill — army training
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. row — a line
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. drill — the tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bore — to tire
  23. drill — a practice
  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