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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bore — to tire
  5. ball — a dance
  6. object — an aim
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. rash — a series
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. clip — to cut
  21. kid — child
  22. clip — a video
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bulb — of a plant

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