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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. sharp — clever
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bore — to drill
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bore — to tire
  11. present — there
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. drill — army training
  16. saw — the tool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. present — the time now
  23. kid — child
  24. rush — hurry

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