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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rock — music
  3. kid — child
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bore — to drill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rock — a stone
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. net — after costs
  11. face — to confront
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kid — to tease
  18. net — in sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. net — for catching
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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