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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — to drill
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pop — soda
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kick — in football
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. can — a tin

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