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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bore — to drill
  5. kid — child
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — to tease
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cell — a phone
  16. present — the time now
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mark — a trace
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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