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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kick — in football
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rock — music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. can — a tin
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kid — child
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mug — a face
  19. can — to be able to
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — to tire
  23. march — the month
  24. can — a tin

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