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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bore — to tire
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pit — a hole
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. current — happening now
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. current — electric
  14. face — part of the head
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. face — to point toward
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. current — of water
  19. face — to confront
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pit — in a race
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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