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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cell — in biology
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. object — a thing
  7. bore — to tire
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — farmland
  10. hand — help
  11. field — for sport
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hand — in cards
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. object — an aim
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. object — to protest
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — a subject

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