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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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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. snap — to click
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. present — a gift
  17. toast — bread
  18. bat — for baseball

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