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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. scale — size or range
  3. shower — to wash
  4. scale — in music
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. hand — help
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. toast — bread
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. shower — rain
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bore — to tire
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bore — to drill
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. toast — the most admired

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