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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bore — to drill
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. net — for catching
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — the month
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. net — after costs
  15. march — music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — for digging

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