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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. branch — a division
  6. ball — a great time
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. bore — to drill
  10. land — a country
  11. bat — the animal
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spell — letters
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bore — to tire
  19. ball — a dance
  20. spell — a short time
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spell — magic

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