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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bear — the animal
  4. can — a tin
  5. board — to get on
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. last — finally
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. board — a committee
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. kid — to tease
  21. can — a tin
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — child

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