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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. kick — in football
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cold — an illness
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. suit — to fit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. suit — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards

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