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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bat — the animal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bore — to drill
  5. row — a line
  6. capital — money
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. snap — to click
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — a city
  24. mouse — the 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