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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · date · snap · pitcher · straw · fall · clip · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bore — to tire
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. clip — a video
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. snap — to click
  23. bore — to drill
  24. date — on the calendar

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