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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mug — to rob
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bore — to tire
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cold — not warm
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — a face
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stand — to bear
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — clever
  24. chip — to eat

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