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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. game — wild animals
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bore — to tire
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. ball — a great time
  14. kid — child
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. game — a match
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. kid — to tease

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