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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rest — a break
  4. bat — the animal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bore — to drill
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bore — to tire
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rest — what's left
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mouse — for a computer

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