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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. kid — child
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bore — to tire
  9. can — a tin
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — a partner
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rash — a series
  24. can — a tin

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