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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. toast — bread
  3. present — a gift
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. present — there
  7. scale — in music
  8. foot — a measure
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rash — a series
  11. present — the time now
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rash — hasty
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. foot — the bottom

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