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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — to wash
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. hand — help
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cabinet — ministers

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