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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. charge — electricity
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — from crying
  6. charge — in control
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. march — the month
  10. tear — from crying
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bore — to tire
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. march — music
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. tear — to rip
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rock — a stone
  21. shower — to wash
  22. charge — a price
  23. bore — to drill
  24. shower — rain

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