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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: rest · deal · kid · craft · mug · row · last · bore

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rest — a break
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rest — what's left
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. row — to paddle
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. bore — to drill
  17. kid — child
  18. mug — a face
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. craft — boats
  21. rest — what's left
  22. craft — a skill
  23. last — final
  24. bore — to tire

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