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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rush — hurry
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. scale — in music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rush — a thrill

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