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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — to recline
  9. degree — from a university
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tear — from crying
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bound — certain
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bear — the animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bear — to put up with

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