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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rash — a series
  4. can — a tin
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. swing — music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bore — to drill
  15. snap — to click
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. content — the amount
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. can — to be able to
  24. content — happy

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