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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. row — to paddle
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. snap — to click
  7. squash — to crush
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bore — to tire
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bore — to drill
  15. row — a line
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pop — music
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pop — soda
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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