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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cell — a phone
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. lie — to recline
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bore — to tire
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. snap — to click
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. drill — army training
  24. cell — in a prison

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