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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. fork — in a road
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rest — a break
  6. stand — to bear
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cell — a phone
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hand — help
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cell — in biology
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. degree — from a university
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bore — to drill
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stand — for spectators
  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