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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. kid — to tease
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rock — music
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. hand — help
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. rock — a stone
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kid — child
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. foot — a measure
  24. hand — in cards

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