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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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Word bank
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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 · hide · bore · saw · game · rock · straw · toast

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. game — a match
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bore — to tire
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rock — a stone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. toast — bread
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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