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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bore — to tire
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bore — to drill
  7. field — farmland
  8. kick — in football
  9. field — a subject
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. field — for sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cue — for pool
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. cue — a signal

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