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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. hand — in cards
  7. chest — of your body
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. hand — help
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chest — a box

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