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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rest — what's left
  4. board — a committee
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rest — what's left
  9. board — to get on
  10. bore — to tire
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rest — a break
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. rash — a series
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ground — a position

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