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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. last — finally
  3. ball — a great time
  4. scale — in music
  5. snap — to click
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. scale — size or range
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. last — to go on
  19. kid — child
  20. last — final
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fine — all right
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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