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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pop — music
  5. spring — of water
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pop — soda
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spring — the season
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. kid — child
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fine — all right
  16. charge — a price
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bore — to drill
  19. spring — a coil
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — electricity
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bore — to tire

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