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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — to tease
  3. row — to paddle
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. row — a line
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — a contest
  22. kid — child
  23. bore — to tire
  24. race — humankind

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