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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fine — all right
  5. root — the cause
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cold — not warm
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. root — of a plant
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cold — an illness
  16. object — an aim
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. toast — bread
  20. object — to protest
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. root — of a word
  23. object — a thing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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