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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. kid — child
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. club — for golf
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bore — to drill
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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