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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bore — to tire
  3. current — happening now
  4. bore — to drill
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. saw — the tool
  9. foot — a measure
  10. current — of water
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. current — electric
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. lash — an eyelash

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