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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. craft — boats
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. craft — a skill
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spell — letters

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