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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bore — to drill
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. kid — to tease
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. staff — employees

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