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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bore — to tire
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — a series
  16. bass — low music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chest — a box
  24. straw — a straw man

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