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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 116 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chip — to eat
  14. root — the cause
  15. drill — the tool
  16. chip — for betting
  17. drill — army training
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pit — in a race
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. perch — for a bird

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