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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chest — a box
  3. kid — to tease
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bear — the animal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bore — to tire
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — to drill
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. toast — bread
  24. calf — a young animal

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