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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · roll · squash · charge · arm · bore · ground · saw

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ground — a position
  6. charge — in control
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. saw — the tool
  10. squash — the sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. squash — to crush
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kid — child
  17. ground — crushed
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. charge — a price
  20. ground — the earth
  21. saw — the tool
  22. charge — electricity
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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