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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. sharp — clever
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. swing — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. season — in sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. swing — in golf
  14. net — for catching
  15. cell — in biology
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. net — after costs
  21. root — of a plant
  22. net — in sport
  23. swing — to play on
  24. season — of the year

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