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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to confront
  3. row — to paddle
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. drill — the tool
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pound — a weight
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mate — to breed
  10. row — a line
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. drill — a practice
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. drill — army training
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bore — to tire

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