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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. staff — employees
  3. drill — a practice
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bore — to tire
  17. drill — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pass — a permit
  21. drill — army training
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bore — to drill

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