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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 124 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. date — the fruit
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bulb — for light
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rest — what's left
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wound — an injury
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. rest — a break
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rest — what's left

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