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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. chest — a box
  3. bat — the animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. charge — a price
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chest — of your body
  15. charge — in control
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wax — to grow
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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