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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bore — to drill
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. suit — to fit
  13. last — final
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ball — a great time
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cell — in biology
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. straw — a straw man

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