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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. snap — to click
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pop — soda
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bore — to drill
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fork — in a road
  23. drill — army training
  24. pop — to visit

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