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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. field — for sport
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. field — farmland
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bore — to tire
  9. field — a subject
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bore — to drill
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — a box
  14. fall — to drop
  15. staff — a stick
  16. row — a line
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. staff — employees
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fall — the season
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bore — gave birth

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