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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mate — a partner
  5. file — a document
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. file — a line of people
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mate — to breed
  15. lie — to recline
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — dry grass

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