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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wind — moving air
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. bass — low music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. net — after costs
  10. suit — in cards
  11. kid — to tease
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. suit — clothes
  19. net — for catching
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. object — a thing
  23. wind — moving air
  24. net — in sport

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