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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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Word bank
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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: mouse · chair · bore · sharp · kid · straw · charge · bat

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bat — the animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. kid — child
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. charge — a price
  23. chair — a professorship
  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