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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · bore · straw · sharp · shower · stick · tear · key

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. key — in music
  4. bore — to drill
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chair — a leader
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bore — to tire
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tear — from crying
  22. shower — to wash
  23. sharp — clever
  24. shower — rain

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