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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chest — of your body
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bound — certain
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bound — tied together
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mark — a grade
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chest — a box
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mark — a trace
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ground — crushed
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chest — of your body

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