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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. object — a thing
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. squash — the sport
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. object — an aim
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bore — to drill
  11. charge — a price
  12. clip — to cut
  13. degree — temperature
  14. clip — for paper
  15. charge — electricity
  16. squash — to crush
  17. charge — in control
  18. degree — from a university
  19. object — to protest
  20. degree — an amount
  21. swing — music
  22. clip — a video
  23. swing — in golf
  24. squash — the vegetable

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