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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mug — a cup
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mug — a face
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. spring — of water
  12. mug — to rob
  13. tube — a container
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. tube — the underground
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spring — the season
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spring — a coil

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