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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rest — a break
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spell — a short time
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. spell — magic
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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