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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: jam · drill · kid · hand · snap · pass · bore · date

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bore — to drill
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. snap — to click
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. drill — army training
  12. bore — to tire
  13. kid — to tease
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. date — the fruit
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. hand — help
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pass — a permit
  21. drill — the tool
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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