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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stem — to come from
  4. drill — army training
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. march — music
  12. bore — to tire
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bore — to drill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. drill — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bass — low music

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