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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bore — to tire
  4. current — of water
  5. race — the arms race
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. row — to paddle
  8. current — happening now
  9. race — humankind
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. current — electric
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. race — a contest
  20. row — a line
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rash — a series
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. straw — dry grass

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