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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. club — for golf
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. club — a group
  11. net — after costs
  12. bore — to tire
  13. row — a line
  14. net — in sport
  15. spell — magic
  16. net — for catching
  17. bore — to drill
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spell — letters
  21. club — for dancing
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rash — on the skin

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