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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. toast — bread
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — to tease
  6. row — a line
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pop — soda
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — music
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kid — child
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rush — hurry

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