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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitch — completely
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bore — to drill
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rash — a series
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kid — child
  21. rash — hasty
  22. row — a line
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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