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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. clip — to cut
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. suit — in cards
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. clip — for paper
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. clip — a video
  21. fork — in a road
  22. prune — to trim
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rush — to hurry

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