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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 124 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mug — a cup
  3. current — electric
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. current — of water
  7. bore — to drill
  8. content — the amount
  9. hand — help
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. land — to come down
  13. mug — a face
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bore — to tire
  16. roll — a list
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. current — happening now
  19. mug — to rob
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. land — ground
  22. hand — in cards
  23. land — a country
  24. content — happy

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