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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bass — low music
  4. kid — child
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hand — help
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. net — in sport
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — the earth
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bore — to tire
  17. kid — to tease
  18. hand — in cards
  19. net — after costs
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ground — a position
  24. snap — to click

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