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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bat — the animal
  3. key — in music
  4. bore — to tire
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. charge — a price
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. shower — to wash
  9. charge — in control
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bore — to drill
  18. shower — rain
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. key — the most important part
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. charge — electricity

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