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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. board — a committee
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. board — to get on
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wake — a trail
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mate — to breed
  16. kid — child
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bore — to drill
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — a straw man

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