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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: march · bore · pound · straw · pass · drill · chip · nail

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bore — to tire
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — to eat
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pass — a permit
  15. march — music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pound — to hit hard

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