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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mate — to breed
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spell — magic
  11. squash — the sport
  12. tear — from crying
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mate — a friend
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. tear — to rip
  24. squash — to crush

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