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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fall — the season
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. present — the time now
  7. fall — to drop
  8. present — there
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fall — to drop
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. present — a gift
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. straw — dry grass

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