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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. track — a path
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kid — child
  11. bore — to drill
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — a trace
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mark — a grade
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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