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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — to drill
  7. kid — to tease
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — a line
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. toast — bread
  24. bore — to tire

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