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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bore — to drill
  4. chest — a box
  5. mine — for digging
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bore — to tire
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chest — of your body
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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