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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. land — to come down
  7. board — to get on
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. land — a country
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rest — what's left
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. land — ground
  15. spell — magic
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rest — a break
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bore — to drill
  24. straw — dry grass

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