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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. last — to go on
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bound — certain
  13. row — to paddle
  14. last — final
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bore — to tire
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — obliged
  24. chair — a leader

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