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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. hand — help
  3. present — there
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. present — a gift
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spring — of water
  11. game — a match
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mate — a friend
  20. game — wild animals
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mate — to breed
  24. spring — the season

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