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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hand — help
  4. rest — a break
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. scale — in music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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