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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. last — finally
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hand — help
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rock — music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bore — to tire
  15. last — final
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hand — in cards
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chip — for betting
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bore — to drill
  24. straw — a straw man

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