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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. shower — rain
  3. mate — a friend
  4. present — there
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. plane — a tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. present — the time now
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. present — a gift
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bore — to drill
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kid — to tease

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