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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bore — to tire
  3. game — a match
  4. rush — hurry
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kid — to tease
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mug — to rob
  24. game — a kind of play

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