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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 120 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ball — a dance
  5. squash — to crush
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chair — a leader
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bore — to tire
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bore — to drill
  24. ball — a great time

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