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

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bore — to tire
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mug — a face
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. drill — army training
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mug — a cup
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — low music
  23. fall — the season
  24. straw — dry grass

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