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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wound — an injury
  8. root — of a plant
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. pop — music
  15. game — a match
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chest — a box
  20. pop — soda
  21. chest — of your body
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bore — gave birth

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