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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bore — to drill
  20. ball — a great time
  21. club — for dancing
  22. drill — army training
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pound — for dogs

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