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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mug — a face
  4. bore — to drill
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rock — music
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. root — the cause
  12. rock — a stone
  13. root — of a word
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. craft — boats
  17. lie — to recline
  18. file — a tool
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a document
  24. root — of a plant

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