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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cap — of ice
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wake — a trail
  12. season — in sport
  13. kick — in football
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pop — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pop — soda
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a lid
  21. roll — a list
  22. season — of the year
  23. pop — to visit
  24. roll — a cake

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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