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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. staff — employees
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. drill — a practice
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fork — in a road
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cell — a phone
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. drill — army training
  24. squash — the sport

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