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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. kick — in football
  3. roll — a cake
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. roll — a list
  6. chest — a box
  7. bore — to drill
  8. suit — clothes
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. suit — in cards
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hand — help
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hand — in cards
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — a division
  22. chest — of your body
  23. suit — to fit
  24. branch — of a tree

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