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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. file — a tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. file — a document
  9. last — final
  10. tear — to rip
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bore — to tire
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. last — finally
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. last — to go on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. present — there
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — the time now
  24. tear — from crying

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