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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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Word bank
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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kid — child
  7. rock — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — of water
  10. bore — to drill
  11. snap — to click
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. current — electric
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pit — in a race
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. current — happening now
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. patient — a sick person

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