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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. staff — employees
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. roll — a list
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. drill — army training
  10. bore — to drill
  11. drill — a practice
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — a line
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bore — to tire
  21. staff — a stick
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. roll — a cake
  24. dip — to sink

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