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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. bound — certain
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. band — a music group
  10. bound — tied together
  11. game — a match
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — wild animals
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a ring
  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