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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bore — to drill
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — a hole
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. shower — rain
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — an eyelash

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