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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mug — a cup
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mug — a face
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pop — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bat — in an idiom

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