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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · bore · rest · kid · toast · last · arm · row

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. toast — bread
  4. row — to paddle
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rest — a break
  7. last — finally
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bore — to tire
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — to drill
  14. last — to go on
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. kid — child
  17. shower — to wash
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. last — final
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. row — a line

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