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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bore — to drill
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. firm — steady
  21. bore — to tire
  22. kid — to tease
  23. shower — rain
  24. tube — a container

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