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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. foot — a measure
  5. present — there
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — finally
  8. spring — a coil
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. staff — employees
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. staff — a stick
  13. present — a gift
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. spring — of water
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. present — the time now
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. track — a path
  23. spring — the season
  24. fan — to cool the air

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