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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bore — to drill
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. tear — from crying
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wind — moving air
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. court — of a king
  21. tear — from crying
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pass — a permit

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