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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bore — to tire
  4. tear — to rip
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cold — not warm
  7. tear — from crying
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bore — to drill
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. current — happening now
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cold — an illness
  14. current — of water
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. suit — in cards
  17. swing — music
  18. current — electric
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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