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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. kid — child
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stock — goods
  14. season — in sport
  15. tube — the underground
  16. dip — to sink
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lie — to recline
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. tube — a container
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bore — to tire

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