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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. charge — electricity
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bore — to tire
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. charge — a price
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. kid — child
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. stand — to bear
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bore — to drill
  20. charge — in control
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tube — the underground
  23. snap — to click
  24. key — in music

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