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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 120 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: club · chest · kid · can · fall · bore · mate · racket

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. club — a group
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. club — for golf
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mate — to breed
  11. club — for dancing
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fall — the season
  15. can — a tin
  16. bore — to tire
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mate — a partner
  19. can — to be able to
  20. chest — a box
  21. fall — to drop
  22. can — a tin
  23. kid — child
  24. fall — to drop

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