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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. sharp — clever
  18. leaves — to go away

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