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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. date — the fruit
  3. snap — to click
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. court — of a king
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rock — music
  14. roll — a list
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. court — of law
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. court — for sport
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bore — to drill

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