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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. firm — steady
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bore — to drill
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fall — to drop
  8. firm — decided
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fall — the season
  11. firm — a company
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tube — a container
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tube — the underground
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bore — to tire
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cold — an illness

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