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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. firm — decided
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bore — to tire
  10. firm — a company
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. file — a document
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. firm — steady
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. file — a line of people

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