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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. roll — a list
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pop — music
  13. row — a line
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bore — to drill
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pitcher — a jug

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