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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. row — to paddle
  3. content — the amount
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. row — a line
  6. bore — to drill
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — hurry
  12. kid — to tease
  13. game — wild animals
  14. content — happy
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. game — a match
  18. can — a tin
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kid — child
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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