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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kid — to tease
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. kid — child
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bore — to drill

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