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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. key — in music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cold — not warm
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cold — an illness
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. club — for golf
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bore — to drill
  16. toast — bread
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. club — a group
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wound — an injury
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. straw — dry grass
  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