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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. snap — to click
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bore — to drill
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rock — music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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