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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ball — a great time
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rock — music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. march — music
  18. bore — to drill
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ball — a dance

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