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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rule — a law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. row — a line
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rule — government
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. kid — child
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. saw — the tool

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