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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 116 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bore — to tire
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — a face
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. kick — in football
  9. ground — a position
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. lean — thin
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mug — to rob
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mug — a cup

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