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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rash — a series
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mug — a face
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. mug — to rob
  12. spring — the season
  13. row — a line
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mug — a cup
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. row — to paddle
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spring — of water

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