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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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 — child
  2. last — finally
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. kid — to tease
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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