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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. last — final
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. object — an aim
  7. kid — to tease
  8. band — a music group
  9. fine — all right
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. object — a thing
  12. chair — a leader
  13. last — finally
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. band — a ring
  16. kid — child
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. object — to protest
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. last — to go on
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fine — high quality

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