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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. band — a ring
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fork — in a road
  13. dip — to sink
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bore — to tire
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. band — a music group
  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