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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pop — to visit
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chest — a box
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pop — soda
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pop — music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rock — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bore — to drill
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bark — to shout

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