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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. suit — to fit
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cue — for pool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fall — the season
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. cue — a hint
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. row — to paddle
  14. suit — in cards
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — to tire
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cue — a signal
  24. suit — clothes

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