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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. face — to confront
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. present — there
  7. can — to be able to
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bore — to drill
  12. present — a gift
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kid — child
  18. present — the time now
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pass — a permit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. row — a line
  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