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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bore — to tire
  4. firm — decided
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lean — to bend
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lean — thin
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bore — to drill

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