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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. march — the month
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. march — the month
  13. current — of water
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. current — happening now
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. snap — to click
  22. march — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. current — electric

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