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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. scale — size or range
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tube — a container
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. scale — in music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bore — to tire
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. roll — a cake
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. roll — a list
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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